Chelsea have rewarded Nigeria midfielder,John Mikel Obi with an improved five year deal following the player's impressive displays for the reigning European champions.

 Mikel,according to his agent,John Olatunji Shittu will sign the new deal as soon as both parties conclude talks on some minor details.

 'Mikel will soon sign a new deal with Chelsea.He will sign a new five-year contract with obviously an improved salary.We are just about finalising the details of the deal and it can be announced anytime soon by the club'',revealed Shittu whoever declined to reveal how much the under-rated Chelsea player will now be earning weekly.

 'You don't expect me to tell you that,do you?That is private between Mikel and Chelsea and of course Mikel's management team'',he said.

 Shittu however revealed that Mikel's new contract is actually a reward for his performance with the club in the last few years.

 'He is one of their most consistent performers on the field and the management of the club agrees with us that he deserves a new and improved contract.He has a year left on his contract and Chelsea have decided to add four more to it'',he said.

Mikel,who is in his seventh season at Stamford Bridge and has seven major honours to his name, including the Double in 2010 and the Champions League is one of the most under-rated Chelsea players but team gaffer,Roberto Di Matteo believes the Nigerian is Chelsea's unsung hero.

“I don’t know why he’s underrated by the fans — he’s very rated by us in the group. It’s the kind of position where you’re a bit of an unsung hero, where you do the dirty work which isn’t recognised all the time because the goalscorers and the creative players get that recognition.

“He’s physically strong, breaks up the game and is getting better on the ball, setting the tempo of our team. We’re happy to have him.

“He takes responsibility as well when receiving the ball under pressure. He should get more credit for it.”

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech who was already at the club when Mikel joined from Lyn Oslo in 2006 is also in no doubt the Nigerian has developed into a key member of the squad.

He said: “Everybody has their opinion but ever since John Obi joined us he’s been a player who has played a lot of games — all the important games.

“He’s never missing. If he’s available for selection, he plays. He’s very useful and part of our success in the last few years. He’s a massive player for us and we’re happy to have him in the team, no matter what other people think.”